Constantly Stamping

MDS Hybrid Sweet Shop Card

I've got lots going on these days, so today's post is short and "sweet". This is a card that I created with the My Digital Studio Sweet Shop Tri-fold Card download (#125617). I switched out the background and used the striped digital DSP from Sale-a-bration. Basically, I just played around with this card to see what it would look like if I printed it at home. It is cute if you print it straight out, but I stepped it up a notch and turned it into an 5.5"x4.25" card using some Calypso Cafe and Chocolate Chip card stock. I printed the focal image separately from the card base. I printed it twice so that I could cut it out and layer each piece with dimensionals. I used a little Dazzling Diamonds on the cherry to give it a little extra bring. Some ribbon and buttons give this card some needed texture.

BTW, there are some cute new digital downloads today available over in my Stampin' Up! store, so be sure to go check those out!

That is pretty much it for today. Hope it is as beautiful outside where you are as it is here. Have a wonderful day!

Elementary Elegance Bag Topper

I have been dragging my feet when it comes to sharing this project that I made as a Leadership sample because I knew I really needed to at least have the dimensions for you. At first glance you might think this is just a simple case of punching a hole out of the front of the bag, but once you get into it you will realize that in order for the punched hole to end up exactly where you want it, the paper needs to be folded in a specific manner.

I started with a piece of Everyday Enchantment DSP that was 4"x11". (I have several international readers who use the metric system, so I tried to convert the measurements for you...aren't you proud of me?) Then I scored it at 4.5", 9", 9.75", and 10.5". I snipped a little of the sides off the bottom flap. (You can click on the pictures if you need a closer look.) Notice from the picture below that some of the folds are mountain folds while others are valley folds.

 

Next I measured and marked the middle of the front panel and made a light pencil mark to use as a guide to help me center the punch. I inserted the top flap as far as it would reach and punched a hole with the Curly Label Punch.If you have the newer style of punch, it will probably reach further into the paper than my older punch did.

I should probably mention that you can get a similar effect if you have the Movers and Shapers Curly Label die, but I don't have that one, so this was my way of working around that issue. I think that the rest of this project is fairly obvious. I stamped and punched the frame from the Elementary Elegance stamp set in Soft Suede ink and then punched out the center with the Curly Label punch. Then I trimmed out the frame and aligned it with the other hole.

I mailed this project off back in December, so I don't really have the dimensions of the topper portion. Just make sure that you make the topper long enough to give the appearance that the frame is centered from top to bottom. You can fill your clear cellophane bag with treats and then staple the bag into the cover. Then cover the staples with the topper. I used the 4"x6" clear cellophane bags for this project (#102757).

Petal Cone Die Felt Carrot Easter Bags

The other day I told  you about the envelopes full of treats that I sent to my downline. Well, this is one of the items in the envelope. Aren't they just the cutest things? I adore working with felt. It is absolutely the easiest of all the fabrics to work with and you can make the most adorable projects.

Here is a quick tutorial on how I created this fun Easter project. You can click on the pictures if you need a closer look. First, I used the Petal Cone die and the Big Shot to cut a piece of orange felt. I trimmed off the flap and rounded off the end of the cone.

Next, I stitched on three buttons using white Bakers Twine and secured the ends on what will be the inside. Then I began a blanket stitch around the back side of the carrot top, making sure to hide the knot on what will be the inside of the carrot.

Once I reached the side, I folded the felt on the crease and began stitching down the fold. At this point the blanket stitch is just decorative. Once you reach the tip of the carrot, then you need to make sure you stitch both layers together to secure the side seam. Continue stitching around until you reach the top opening of bag. Now, continue stitching around the top front portion of the carrot, but make sure you leave the top open so you can add some treats later. Once you go all the way around the top, secure the twine with a knot inside the bag.

To create the carrot top, I used the Blossom Punch (#125603) to punch out one piece of Brights DSP and one piece of matching cardstock. Glue the two flowers together for stability. At this point punch two holes in the center of the flower and then two holes through both layers of the bag opening near the top with the larger hole of a Crop-a-dile. Thread the ribbon through from the back and add the tag. Then just tie a bow in the front. To be totally honest, this polka dot ribbon is a little tricky to work with, so you will have to fiddle with it to make the polka dots show.

OK, that is pretty much all there is to it. Of course I stamped "Happy Easter" from the stamp set "Delightful Dozen" to create a tag. I mixed up the different buttons, flowers, and ribbon so that I could use up a lot of different colors.There are lots of videos on YouTube that show you how to blanket stitch, so I decided not to do another one.  I hope you like my project. You can purchase most of the supplies for this project in my online store (except the felt, of course). Also, I would be happy to put together a kit for you based on your needs. If you are interested, then send me an email to connie@constantlystamping.com. Be sure to put "Carrot Bag" in the subject line so I won't miss it. Have a great day!

Pals Paper Arts Challenge #131

It's been quite a while since I have entered any sketch challenges, but I have been wanting to try one over at the PPA blog for a while. I really liked this particular layout, so I decided to give it a go this week.

While I was sick this week, I got really bored sitting in the bed, so I decided to just sit at my stamping table and make flowers. These mini roses are really cute, so I wanted to make a card where I could use several. This card really fit the bill. I love the way I was able to give each layer of the card enough lift to set the flowers down inside the frame. I reminds me of a window with a flower box.

The card base is Crumb Cake, the DSP is Everyday Enchantment, the frame is from the  "Frame It" set and is stamped in Early Espresso ink. To make the flowers I used the Triple Blossom Punch, separated the layers of the card stock by working it with a bone folder, then I cut them into spirals. I used a quilling tool to roll them and then added a dab of Tombow adhesive to hold everything in place. I love how soft the flowers are and the way that no two flowers are the same.

Altered Mini Composition Books

Things have been a little miserable at our house for the past week. First, I was really sick, now my son has had the flu since Tuesday. So needless to say, I have had my focus on getting everyone well and just haven't been blogging. Just hoping the worst is behind us so we can get back to "normal".

On another note...I have always done a great job of showing appreciation to my first level downline, but recently my second level has blossomed. I wanted to do something fun and spontaneous for them, so I decided to make and mail all the members of my downline a special surprise. Each gal received three items in their goodie envelop. One of the items was an altered mini composition book.

One thing I know about my girls is that they have different styles. Some like what I call "classic Stampin' Up! style", some prefer elegant, while others just adore the vintage/shabby approach. So I designed three different style notebooks to fit their different personalities. I don't know what happend, but I didn't get a picture of one of them, but I can show you the other two.

This is what I would call "classic SU style" or at least that is my version of it. This could easily be converted into notecard for a workshop. I covered the front and back of the mini book with Berry Blossoms DSP. This is one of my favorite DSP's. It is absolutely perfect for those upcoming spring/summer projects. One of the reasons I chose this particular paper is because it went well with the black binding on the notebook. I honestly didn't want to fuss with covering the spine, so I decided to work with it instead.

This is the shabby/vintage notebook. This one is my personal favorite. I totally enjoyed the process on this. I started by cutting the Newsprint DSP to size and then I stamped and distressed before I added it to the front and back of the notebook.  I also distressed the bow and allowed it to dry before attaching it to front. I even distressed some of the pages inside the notebook to give it a vintage feel.

Even though I haven't been stamping much, I still have lots of projects to share as soon as I can get to them. Hopefully life will get back on track and I will have them for you real soon.

 

 

Springtime Happiness

Hi Everyone! Whew, I have been very sick over the past five days and just now starting to feel a little better. At first I thought it was my springtime allergies gone rogue, but I am starting to think it was a miserable virus now that my son is beginning to show the same symptoms. I haven't felt this lousy in a long time. It wasn't as bad as the flu, but close.

Today I want to share a card that I made a few weeks ago. I started with a Simply Sent Everyday Elegance card with a beautiful pre-cut border and worked from there. This is one of the products that you can select for free during Sale-a-bration, or you can purchase it from the main catalog (#122377). The set comes with eight printed, embossed, die-cut cards, 16 self-adhesive tags, and 8 white envelopes.

This card uses lots of products from the Occasions Mini catalog. I covered the top portion of the card with Twitterpated DSP (#125406), added some Blushing Bride 3/8" Pleated Satin Ribbon (#125570) and stamped a greeting on the pre-cut tag using a sentiment from the Loving Thoughts stamp set (#125845). One thing you may notice is that I added a bow made with Pretty in Pink 5/8" satin ribbon. The ribbon colors aren't an exact match, but honestly, it really looks fine together.  I die cut some little butterflies using the Beautiful Wings Embosslits die (#118138) from Pretty in Pink card stock to add some balance to the layout.

Now let's talk a little about the stars of the show, the beautiful flowers. Sometimes I just sit and make flowers and other embellishments to use on my projects later. I made these flowers almost a year ago, not really knowing how I would use them. I would much rather make my own embellishments than pay for some of those expensive flowers from the scrapbook store. It is a much more time/cost effective way and I can be sure that my colors match my other Stampin' Up! products. I have a big box of pre-made flowers that I keep next to my stamp area. When I am working on a project, I can just pull out the box to see if there is anything that I can use. I made these particular flowers with a combination of the Blossom Party die (#115971) and the Birds & Blooms retired sizzlits 4-pack dies. The last time I checked the sizzlits were on the Clearance Rack over in the online store. I gave the flowers a little spritz of of homemade shimmer mist that I made using rubbing alcohol and Frost White shimmer paint.  (#116854). Be sure to let everything dry completely before adding the pearls or they may not stick well.

OK...that's all for today. Even thought I have been sick, I have several projects already made and waiting to show you. I just need to find time to photograph them and prepare the posts, so be sure to check back soon.

 

Under the Weather...Way Under!

Hi there. I am feeling really terrible today. My springtime allergies have finally caught up with me and now I have a sinus infection, sore throat, and have partially lost my voice. But life goes on, so I have been trying to run my errands, as usual. I have a doctor's appointment later today, so hopefully I will be feeling better soon.

In the meantime, here is a card that I made a few weeks ago. It was going to be my card for the Artisan FB gallery, but after I made it I saw some cards out there in blog land that had a similar look and feel, so I decided not to save it for another day.

Just briefly, I used Soft Suede card stock, Attic Boutique DSP (#125407), Apothecary Art stamp set (#125527), and I stamped everything in Soft Suede ink. After stamping, I cut out the image with the coordinating Labels Collection Framelits die (#125598). I created a mask for the center portion of the sentiment and then used a sponge dauber to apply Daffodil Delight ink around the outside border. I colored everything with a blender pen. As long as you dab your blender pen instead of sweeping it, you can color the image without smearing. I added a big, beautiful bow and that is pretty much it. I think I will take a couple of days off of blogging until I feel a little better. See you soon.

 

Tea for Two - Gift from a Friend!

I can't believe that neglected to share this great gift I received from my leadership roommie, Natasha Zandbergen. Isn't it just adorable! It's an altered tea tin. She used the Everyday Enchantment dsp along with the Tea Shoppe stamp set (#125547) from the Occasions Mini. I love it so much that I haven't opened it yet...but soon. I can't wait to try a cup! Here is a picture of the top of the box. I hope you hop over and visit her blog. She is such a talented Canadian demo with lots of great tutorials for sale. Thanks, Natasha.